Disneyland in a Day with Kids Six and Under

Okay, so you can't do ALL of Disneyland in a day, but you can make sure that what you do see is the best. In the process of annually updating my travel guide, WALT DISNEY WORLD WITH KIDS, I've visited the Disney parks over 30 times with my kids and surveyed more than 300 families. I've become an expert on the "frantic factor" (the strange assumption that a family seeing 20 attractions a day must be having twice as much fun as a family seeing 10 attractions a day) and parents trying so hard to "get their money's worth" that they hustle the kids from ride to ride with no notion of what's age appropriate. That's why we've set up three separate touring plans with three different age groups in mind. Trust me, if you put a 14-year-old on "It's a Small World" or a 5-year-old on "Space Mountain," Disneyland will no longer be the happiest place on Earth.

Read on for the touring plan for families with kids six and under. (For the other age groups and related stories, click on the following links: Touring with Kids Seven to Ten, Touring with Kids Eleven and Up, Structuring One Day at Disneyland and Summary Touring Plans for Disneyland in a Day.)

KIDS SIX AND UNDER
Your main objective here is to let your kids experience as much of the park as possible without scaring them to death. Start slow--if you plunk a nervous four-year-old on Snow White's Scary Adventures or hustle a six-year-old to the Haunted Mansion first thing in the morning, they may be shot for the day and refuse to board even the most innocuous ride. But preschoolers who test their mettle on the kiddie rides may surprise you by closing out the day on Splash Mountain.

MORNING: Most of the attractions for this age group are located in Fantasyland and Toontown. The lines at Dumbo move with elephant-like speed, so go there first. (And don't kid yourself that you'll be able to talk a toddler into skipping it. It's Dumbo. It's in all the ads. You have no choice.) The caterpillar cars at Alice in Wonderland are irresistible and the flying pirate ships at Peter Pan's Flight were always my daughter Leigh's favorite when she was a preschooler. The scenes in the ride faithfully re-tell the story in the movie, so even three-year-olds know what's going on.

By now Toontown, which often has a delayed opening, should be ready for entry. Hop on one of the cabs of Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, which really do spin in mad circles when the weasels throw "dip" on you. Gadget's Go-Coaster is a good gauge for how kids might handle other coasters. This ride really zooms, but the whole trip lasts a cool 42 seconds, so you don't have time to get too scared.

If you spend the morning in the Fantasyland-Toontown area, almost every attraction is kid-friendly, so ride as many as you can as long as the kids' stamina holds out and lines aren't too long. (Caution: Snow White and Pinocchio spook a lot of preschoolers.) Kids this age usually aren't old enough to drive in the Autotopia in nearby Tomorrowland without an adult, but as long as you're there to give it the gas, they love to steer.

MIDMORNING: If your children are into meeting the characters, this is a good time to collect some autographs. The characters can always be found in Toontown, and you can meet Aladdin in Adventureland, Pooh in Critter Country and the "princess" characters near the castle. Ariel's emergence into her grotto, complete with music and mist, is a real wow. The times and locations for character meetings are well-marked on your theme park map.

You might choose instead to meet the characters over a late breakfast or early lunch. Goofy's Kitchen in the Disneyland Hotel is easily accessible by monorail, takes reservations and serves a buffet. Call 714-956-6755 for details.

AFTERNOON: With kids this age, your best bet is to exit the park and let them take a full-fledged nap. If this isn't possible,a good afternoon resting place within the park is The Enchanted Tiki Room. It's a Small World might also do the trick. It's a ride but boards fast, and even babies enjoy the singing and dancing audio-animatronic children from around the world. Take a lap on the railroad and detrain at Toontown, and you'll be ideally situated to see an afternoon performance of the latest show in the Fantasyland Theater Stage. Assuming loud noises and a few 3-D special effects don't scare them, many kids this age love "Honey I Shrunk the Audience." The afternoon parade is always a safe bet.

Sometimes kids aren't tired but full of pent-up energy. If you suspect your kids just need to run wild for an hour, take older ones to Tom Sawyer Island, where they can explore the caves, bridges and forts. Younger kids needing more adult supervision will love the interactive areas of Toontown, where they can hop into Goofy's Bounce House, or get good and wet on Donald's Boat.

Kids of any age should swing by the new Tarzan's Climb to Adventure in the site of the former Swiss Family Treehouse.

EVENING: Kids who are ready for bolder rides might enjoy trying an old favorite, like the Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean or even the Haunted Mansion. (My son Jordan used to be terrified by the witch in Snow White, which is allegedly a kiddie ride, but he loved the happy haunts at the mansion. Go figure.) Fantasyland is gorgeous at night, especially outdoor rides like the Mad Tea Party with its Chinese lanterns twinkling overhead.

Be sure to save time for one of the evening shows. Fantasmic is dramatic and powerful, with the Disney villians out to get poor Mickey, so younger kids may be better off watching the evening parade. Just keep a tight grip on the kids when the show is over. The combination of dimmed lights and thronging crowds make this the most likely point of the day to lose your child.

TIPS FROM KIDS "The caterpillar cars on Alice in Wonderland are so pretty." --Rachel, 5 "Make your Mom let you stay for the parade even if she's tired." --Austin, 6 "I used to be scared of the Snow White and Pinocchio rides. Now I'm just scared of Snow White." --Devon, 4 "All the princesses are around the castle and will give you their name in your book." --Sara, 5 "I like to go on Splash Mountain 100 times." --Seth, 5 "The teacups will make your grandpa sick." --Justin, 4

Kim Wright Wiley is the author of WALT DISNEY WORLD WITH KIDS and is FamilyFun's new Theme Park Expert.

Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated June 2005.